Steve and Vanish
by CanOfSurprisinglySmellyBeef
Summary: Steve believes he is the only being of sentience left in the world- But then he hears the voice of an Enderwoman. This story aims to be detailed and well written, as well as a project for me to sharpen my writing skills. Hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone, CannedSmeef here. I am creating this story as a hobby, as well as to sharpen my writing skills. I've noticed, however, that a lot of Fanfictions in Minecraft are either poorly written or have no plotline (usually both). So, I aim to make something more or less "quality" in this story. Yes, this is a Romance between Steve and a female Enderman. But no, there will be NO LEMONS. In addition, our Enderwoman will NOT be an anime hybrid (why the hell is that a thing). She will be, to an extent, her mob form. No shapeshifting, no 12 year old girl (you people do realize that that is pedophilia, right?) who is ruler of Enderman, and no slutty personality-lacking characters.**

 **Not trying to disrespect the community, just letting you know that none of that will be in this story.**

 **And before you scream "Minecraft fetishist!", that isn't the case here. I'm doing this for fun, not for pleasure (again, T rated).**

 **So, summary disclaimer: I don't own Minecraft, this will be T rated, no lemons, no anime hybrid people, and no pedophilia.**

 **Chapter One:** A First for Everything

*click*

*click*

*fizzle*

The stick began to emit a harmonious glow, slowly brightening by the second. Within moments it became too bright for Steve to even hold in his hand anymore, so he wedged the end of the torch into the cracks of the walls of the cave. The heavenly light calmed his pounding heart, as the caverns went from pitch black to an orangey-yellow—he hated the dark. The dark always seemed to be present, and even with the greatest of fires it always followed him close behind. A cloak of despair and uncertainty was forever so close to Steve, just mere feet away from swallowing him whole and plunging him into the realm of the feared.

Steve fumbled for the tie on his storage sack, and carefully opened it wide. The familiar blue radiance emerged, and he placed his flint and steel into the pack. It almost immediately vanished into colorful dust, and was swept away by the magical current within his leather satchel. The seemingly infinite space was always so beautiful, like gazing into the Northern Lights, or staring into the eyes of God himself. Steve closed his eyes, and concentrated on what he wanted most—Nourishment. He had filled his satchel with various food items before he had begun his spelunking, knowing that all of his hard work would surely exhaust his energy. He reached his hand inside, and continued to think. With a familiar *zing*, he felt something form into his hand. He opened his eyes and looked at the pumpkin pie that had just appeared from seemingly nothing. He took the dessert out of his bag, and sealed it shut.

With one swift movement, Steve grabbed his trusty blade of iron and sliced the pie in half on the cold stone floor. He continued to make clean cuts until it was made of eight individual pieces, ready for consumption. Steve licked his lips, and quickly began devouring the pastry. His ravenous hunger only fueled his need for sustenance, causing him to stuff it inside himself as fast as he could.

The third slice didn't satisfy him, nor did the fourth or the fifth. Steve had eaten seven of the eight slices, and was preparing to indulge himself on the final one. But that is when he heard it.

*voop*

The all too familiar sound of an Enderman's teleportation echoed throughout the caves, chilling his spine like a blizzard of the worst proportions. Without hesitation, Steve retrieved his carved out pumpkin from his magic satchel and placed it on his head. He had read in ancient text on the walls of previously explored caves that pumpkins would deter the aggressive behavior the towering figures. He wasn't sure if it was true or not, but it was worth a try.

Footsteps began to sound to his right, each one louder than the last. Panic further increased in Steve's blood, and every second that went by made it harder for him to keep his fragile sanity. He struggled to smother his fear, for he didn't want to seem like an easy target for the monster coming his way.

*step*

*step*

*step*

It was directly in front of him now. He could barely contain his screams of horror, preparing to embrace the pain that awaited him. He also tried his best to resist the urge to grab his sword lying by his side, but that would likely anger the creature.

"Wow, seriously?"

Steve's shuddering slowed to a halt upon hearing the voice. It wasn't dark or threatening at all—it was feminine. Light in tone, yet heavy in pitch in order to be considered tough. The voice, although slightly distorted with clicks and pops, was oddly reassuring. The sound of the monster soothed his fear, warming his insides with a faint joy that he had never felt before. He couldn't describe why, but he seemed to have... Recovered entirely. Now he was simply dealing with the shock of listening to the sound of a sentient being's voice.

It had been years since the last time he heard an intelligent sound. That one village, next to the mountain, full of sharp, yet ludicrous people, with pickles for noses rather a point. Tears whelmed in his eyes as he thought of the happy-go-lucky citizens that once existed there, only for them to be exterminated by the creatures that lurked in the night. The howls of agony that rang out throughout the meadows could have brought even the bravest of heroes to their knees. He knew he couldn't help them. As much as it tortured his very soul, he couldn't do anything to help them. He could only watch the flames that consumed their homes, knowing that come that morning, all would be but ashes.

He felt the tears stream down his face, before the second phrase was spoken by this stranger.

"Another 'pumpkin man'. For heaven's sake, if I could find just **one** person who doesn't think that all Enderkind are the same. 'Never look at them this, and never look at them that.' Do you have any idea how much that hurts?"

Steve slowly brought up his head, ignoring all thoughts of averting his eyes. He felt his spirits lift, for he was gazing upon one of the most beautiful entities he had ever witnessed. She was around 3 meters high, with skin as dark as the caves themselves. Her limbs were slightly disproportionately long, but seemed to fit her figure perfectly. Also noteworthy was her build—apparently, female Endermen could have curves. But they were not ridiculous in size, they were rather small in form, as if they could pass for a human's. She appeared to have rudimentary clothing on, sown together from hide and string, forming a kilt and a vest. She also had a leather cap, which sat upon long, indigo hair that waved down to her shoulder blades. But out of all of this, what he found to be the most noticeable was her complexion—The near perfection of her face was almost too much to handle. He continued up to meet her large eyes, with bright purple irises, which further widened as he made eye contact with her.

"Whoa. Okay, you're actually looking at me. That's a first..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Dear Viewers: Wow, this is becoming more successful than I thought it would be! I'm trying to keep the "professional" feel to this story, but that's getting a little harder due to there being dialogue now. Nevertheless, hope you enjoy!**

 **Chapter Two:** The Man under the Mask

It was an odd moment. One second the caves were echoing with the voice of the gorgeous stranger, and the next they were still, as if time had frozen itself. Steve couldn't stop staring into the Enderwoman's large, glistening eyes, and she couldn't look away either. They indulged in each other's curiosity, wondering what the other person thought about them.

Steve decided to break the silence, with an offer of apology.

"Sincere apologies ma'am, I'll withdraw it right away."

He clasped the sides of the gourd, and slowly lifted it off of his shoulders. He placed it on the ground beside him, and looked back up at the woman. She hadn't looked away, no, for she was now staring with genuine surprise. Steve met her gaze, and she finally averted her eyes with a bit of color flushing to her cheeks.

"Wow, um... Geez, I don't know what to say. You're the first human to actually respond to me before, let alone take their pumpkin off their head."

The quietness that once hung over the two was now quickly building into awkwardness. With a bit of hesitation, Steve replied, "We could begin conversation by exchanging designations."

The visitor turned her head back to him in utter confusion. Steve paused, and explained his words whilst over-enunciating them: "Ask me my name."

Her face showed signs of a slight smile, as if he amused her.

"Alright then, what is your name?"

Steve returned the cute smirk before saying, "I am Steve. And your forename is...?"

"I'm Vanish, thrilled to make contact with you." She told him, mocking his formal tone and dialogue with a slight bow.

Steve broke out into a hearty laughter, and Vanish couldn't contain her merriment either. Their joyful noises ricocheted off of the cool walls of the caves, spreading out and filling every corridor. Within a few seconds, the volume of the resonance became too much for their eardrums to handle, so the two promptly stopped.

Vanish, after waiting for the echoes to end, looked at Steve and asked, "So what are you doing down here, anyway? Don't humans generally live on the surface?"

"We do," he replied, "but we occasionally embark on expeditions to the tunnels that lay below the soil. It can be challenging to believe the amount of beneficial resources and information that you may find whilst spelunking. I obtained the skills to communicate and transcribe with the number of journals and writings on the walls of the stone."

"Ah, so that may explain your 'big words'. You've been reading books that are thousands of years old, no wonder you talk like that!"

"It does not help that I have not witnessed another human being since the day I was brought into existence."

Vanish, with a slight pause, quietly stated, "Oh."

The awkward silence had returned to fall over them once more, causing Vanish to hurriedly ask, "Wait, so you haven't seen any other people before? I've seen plenty! They're all over the place!"

Steve, eyes full of hope and awe, inquired, "Really? You have seen more of my kind?"

Vanish began to answer him, but slowly closed her lips for a moment. With a bit of thought, she replied, "Well, it HAS been a while since I've met one... A long while... A few years even. I haven't seen any trace of them! It's like all the activity just, stopped!"

Steve's momentary optimism was crushed by these words, but he tried to hide it the best he could: "Oh, I see. That's alright though, I'm quite content just speaking with you."

Vanish was flattered by this, bringing the familiar purple color back to her face, as well as a shy grin. She turned away, before softly saying, "Well, I... Um... Thank you."

Suddenly, the torch started to fade, and flickered until it died, plunging Steve back into the darkness that he feared so much. He let out a small yelp, and hastily grabbed his satchel, removed his flint and steel, and relit the failed length of wood. The fire was small, but slowly began to consume the coals that sat upon the end of the stick. The light returned at a snail's pace, but Steve didn't care. He only wanted his holy protection from the dark.

Vanish, however, only looked at him with pure pity. She didn't seem to be afraid of the world at night, but she seemed to understand his fear. Maybe she had a phobia of some sort as well?

"You don't like the dark, huh? That's okay, a lot of humans don't like going out at night—Or so I'm told, anyway..."

"Do you have any 'irrational' dreads," Steve inquired, "Like arthropods, or altitudes?"

Vanish looked down at the ground, as if she were putting some hard thoughts into the matter. She started to reply, but closed her mouth again, and she began to blush even harder than ever.

Eyes still trained on the ground, she softly answered, "I'm afraid of rejection..."

Steve could almost feel the heat radiating off of her cheekbones, so he decided to say, "Oh, so like an atychiphobia?"

Vanish looked back up at him, and said with a shy smile, "I have no idea what you just said, but sure, I guess so."


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: I got really excited about this chapter, so I decided to write it ASAP. I think you guys are going to love this one. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 3:** Monkey see, Monkey do...

Vanish looked down upon her feet, as if she was trying to muster some courage. To ask a favor, perhaps? Did she want to go into the tunnels with him, as partners? Did she want the lonely piece of pie, slowly crumbling onto the cool granite floor? Or did she wish to... No. Impossible, Steve told himself. They were of entirely different species! At least, that's all Steve could assume. For all he knew they could be distant relatives. He hadn't the slightest idea of where she could have been from, what she was made of, or what her history was. She was just this dark colored humanoid who had suddenly appeared beside him.

"Could I... Take you up to the surface? There's something I'd like to show you." Vanish had finally forced out of her lungs.

Steve raised his eyebrows, confused as how she would do this. "What do you mean? I can climb back upwards into my mineshaft, but I don't believe that you imply that."

Vanish seemed very flustered at this point, a little ashamed that she asked in the first place. "I can... Give you a lift? You know, teleport you along with me?"

Steve, after surprisingly little consideration, answered, "That sounds... Interesting. Sure, why ever not?"

Vanish's eyes lit up with excitement, thrilled that he had complied to her offer. She immediately grabbed him by his forearms, and lifted him off of the ground. She leveled him to her height, so they could see each other eye to eye. It wasn't hard to tell that she was absolutely ecstatic about the ordeal, which made Steve rather nervous. However, he was now able to see her appearance in even greater detail than previously. She was mind-blowingly gorgeous, to the point where Steve felt tempted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. In fact, he did—Only to discover that he was indeed in reality.

Her large eyes seemed even greater in size up close, and they were practically symmetrical in distance from her other features. Her small, sharp nose was quite smooth, and her long, thin lips had an indigo hue to them, which was a nice touch. But what caught his attention was the freckle on her right cheek. It was perfectly round, as well as pitch black compared to the rest of her skin.

"Get ready! This is going to be really weird!" Vanish flashed her brilliantly white teeth at Steve, which snapped him back out his thoughts.

"Whoa, whoa," Steve blurted out as she pressed their foreheads together, "What—"

Then a loud *voop*, and they were gone.

What Steve saw next was... Indescribable.

He was suddenly alone—Vanish was no longer holding him, and was nowhere to be seen. But Steve was drifting, flying, through a seemingly infinite plane of existence. Intense points of light filled the view. There wasn't a single inch of space that wasn't cluttered with them. But yet it was so dark, so empty. And the colors. **The colors.** Steve stared at combinations that he had never even seen, nor imagined, in his entire life. They flowed through his body, like water flows through a stream. They encased his body, sending him into a deep trance. All thoughts and emotions left him, keeping his body as an empty husk, floating through reality and time.

Steve was still alone. Hours passed, but he wasn't really aware. He didn't care. He couldn't care. He was incapable of intelligent thought. He could only concentrate on the light... The light wasn't his enemy—It was his friend. Why would he ever want to leave? He was perfectly fine right here. He never wanted to go.

Days flew by. Weeks, months, years. Decades upon centuries upon millennium passed by. But Steve didn't mind. His close companion—no, **lover** —the light was always there for him. It stood by him, comforting him, through the emptiness of reality. He loved the light. He always had. He always would.

Steve would talk to the light sometimes. Sometimes the light would talk back. Sometimes Steve would think about the light. Sometimes the light would think about Steve. But Steve would always stay here with the light. He was always here with the light. He would always be with the light.

Steve kept on floating, and it wasn't long before time itself had stopped. Steve had been in this place since the moment the universe was born. And he had been there when the universe had died. But Steve kept going. Because the light was there for him. The light loved him too. The light had always loved him. The light would always love him.

Steve's physicality began to leave him, but that didn't matter. Steve had already spent many eternities with the light, it wasn't as if his body mattered. As Steve broke away, and faded into nothingness, he could only think of the light. The last fiber of his being was no more, but Steve could think only of the light. The light was one with Steve. Steve had become the light. Steve was the light. Steve was always the light. And Steve would always be the light.

Steve gasped as a migraine of the greatest proportions left his body as soon as it arrived. He buckled onto the grass, violently shuddering as his body regained consciousness and mobility. Steve could only take a little bit of air in, before he immediately forced it right back out of his lungs. It pained him to even breathe. Shivering, weeping sobs of agony, curling into a pathetic fetal position, Steve couldn't take his mind off of his journey. He had spent so much time in that god forsaken place that he had forgotten who he was. His memories, thoughts, his emotions rushed back into his head, which further reminded him of the lie that was his life, his being, his existence.

Vanish looked down upon him in utter shock. She hadn't expected him to react so strongly, but it was his first time traveling through The Other Way. In addition, he wasn't suited for that kind of transportation; He was only human, after all.

She could only softly say, "Sorry... I forgot to tell you about that part..."

Steve weakly rolled his head over to look at her, eyes wide open. "It's okay... I enjoyed it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: The positive reviews for this story is getting overwhelming. Thank you so much everyone! I present to you, Chapter 4.  
**

 **Chapter Four:** A Fine View

Steve, still trembling with disbelief, slowly rose to his feet. With a few deep, drawn out breaths, he was able to calm his thoughts back to a submissive state. At last, he was able to be human once more. He didn't want to go back to that place—It very nearly robbed him of his humanity. He realized that while Vanish had sent him there, he was also sure that she hadn't meant to cause him such trauma.

He looked back up at her, and noticed the pure regret that shone in her eyes. Steve gave a weak smile, and told her, "Thank you for transporting me along, but I think I shall pass next time." He gave a soft laugh, which seemed to cheer Vanish up a bit.

"Yes, I'll have to find you some sort of relic, so you don't get sent so deep into The Other Way." Vanish gave a shy smile, like she wanted to move on from the situation.

But this new topic deeply interested Steve. "...What is the 'other way'?"

"Oh, it's like a giant wormhole, or an alternate reality."

Steve didn't understand at all, and let out a little sound of confusion.

Vanish looked at the ground, trying to formulate a better way to explain the matter. Steve watched her do this, and recognized just how cute she was when she did this. Her lips pursed out to the side, while her hair flowed down over her shoulders.

Suddenly, she snapped her head back up, and went off on a tangent about the "Other Way".

"You know when you fold a piece of paper a couple of times, and back over itself, you can join two sides of the paper together while having a part of it stick out the back? Like a valley?"

Steve nodded in response, and Vanish continued.

"Well, that bit that sticks out from the rest of the paper is a lot like The Other Way. It allows you to skip crossing the boring parts of the universe, by crossing the folded part, the crease in between. However, only Endermen, as far as I know, can actually skip the folded part, like a bridge. Regular living beings just fall in, and emerge later once they cross the entire folded part. Does that make sense?"

Steve paused, and soon nodded some more in confirmation.

He asked, "So, because I'm not an Ender being, I was unable to transfer myself over the fold in the universe? I just fell into the crevice, and had to journey my way back up?"

Vanish smiled, and answered, "Yep, that's the long-short of it."

"And if I obtain this, 'relic', I will be able leap over the gap when you bring me with you?"

Vanish blushed, and gazed upon the grass as she said, "Well, you don't **have** to come with me..."

Steve was now very suspicious of her feelings for him—It seemed quite probable that she was attracted to him... But why would she be? Should she be? It's not that Steve minded; Aside from his unpleasant visit to The Other Way, he really enjoyed her company.

"Why not? You seem rather enjoyable to stay around with. I would enjoy spending more time with you." Steve inquired, curious of what her response would be.

Steve had never seen her turn to a deeper shade of violet. Her hands spontaneously started twirling her locks of indigo hair around their fingers, and her feet shifted in circles anxiously. Her wide eyes continued to concentrate on the luscious grass, while her lips parted in a shy little grin.

"Um... Yeah, sure. We could... Hang out... More." Vanish hesitantly said, almost ashamed at her words.

Once again, the awkward air was returning to haunt them, so Steve suddenly asked, "So what is it you wanted me to witness?"

Vanish's head slowly rose, as the furious color that tainted her cheeks began to subside. She soon flashed her big, toothy smile, and stood up straight.

"Oh yeah, le'me show you that!"

Vanish reached to grab Steve's hand, but feigned just before their fingertips touched. Her spirit suddenly died, and she retracted her arm in regret. But, with a slightly amused smirk, Steve graciously held out his wrist for her to take hold of.

Vanish's excitement instantly skyrocketed, and she hurriedly accepted his offer. She dragged him through the tall grass in a sprint, and up towards the top of the mound that they were standing on. She soon stopped at the very peak, where it ended in a steep drop. Steve realized that he had been so focused on Vanish's mannerisms that he hadn't even bothered to take in the scenery.

They were on top of a mountain, or at least a great hill. The landscape was painted with luscious forests, and sprinkled with the occasional pig or white sheep. The sun was setting in the distance, and was touching some mountain tops that sat across the quaint valley.

The view was absolutely breath taking as it was, but Vanish had other interests.

"Watch they sky!"

Steve did as she requested, and was taken aback. The sky was filled with a perfect hue of magenta and purple, turning the clouds into cotton candy. He couldn't believe the colors, and almost had to avert his eyes from the sheer beauty.

"Amazing, huh?" Vanish was looking right at him now. Steve gave a slow nod, as he stared back at her.

Steve, with a bit of hesitation, told her, "You know, it reminds me of your hair color."

Vanish hid her face from him with her arms, and half of a giggle escaped her lips. Steve came to the conclusion that she did indeed have a regard of some sort for him.

And you know what, he thought, the feelings mutual.


	5. Chapter 5

**Note: I think you guys are going to like this one... Thanks for the support!**

 **Chapter 5:** Retrieval

Steve felt warm inside. He didn't really know why, but he didn't really care either. Maybe it was because he had flattered Vanish? Or was it simply the pumpkin pie spices kicking in? He had a feeling it was the first possibility.

Suddenly, with a jump, he remembered that he had forgotten something. Something vital to his survival. "My pack! I misplaced it in the caves!"

Vanish looked up at him, and with a proud smile, replied, "Oh, I can get it back for you! Where was it again?"

Steve tried to focus on the memories of his quaint cabin. It was still fuzzy from his trip through The Other Way, and could barely even recognize his own home. With hesitation, he was finally able to respond, "It's not far from my home... And it's... By a mountain with four peaks on it... Sheep everywhere." He pointed towards where the mountains shielded the sunset.

"Got it!" Vanish yelled, and disappeared with a *voop*.

Steve was alone now, and he decided to sit down and wait for her return. His hands under his head, he gazed up towards the emerging stars as he took slow, subtle breaths. He could already feel his eye lids descending over his spheres of sight. The Other Way had taken a lot of energy out of him, and his body was demanding that he rested. Begrudgingly, he complied.

Good night, he thought, hope the bed bugs don't bite.

Bed bugs. Monsters.

It was night fall. And he was about to fall asleep. On top of a hill. Unprotected.

With startling speed, he rose off of the ground in a panic. He looked at the setting sun one more time—It had already cowered behind the mountain tops. And the moon had made its voyage across the Earth to meet him.

Steve got into a battle-ready stance, eager to deliver devastating blows to a walking corpse. He reached for his sword, keeping his eyes in front of the steady slope of the hill that lead down towards the dark forest.

His right hand reached for the hilt. It didn't find anything. Steve was terrified, and kept feeling for the end of his blade—Nothing. He had left it down in the caves next to the slice of pie along with the rest of his items. He was defenseless.

Something was walking towards him. Slowly, but with intent. Steve whirled around, and came face to face with the decaying remains of a human.

"How did you get up here? It's a straight drop—"

The ghastly creature lunged towards him with a groan of discomfort. It probably pained his rotting bones to even move. Steve yelped, and kicked it square in the sternum. His shoe went right through, with a sickening, fleshy crunch, and lodged inside of its chest. The ribcage encased his foot, trapping it—He was connected to the damn thing now.

The zombie quickly grabbed Steve's knee, and forcefully pulled it towards its gapping maw. Steve screamed in terror, and attempted to shove it farther away from him. His foot held strong, and so did the creature's hands. The creature dug its nails into his leg in frustration, and heaved it towards its mouth. A wet pop emerged from Steve's hip. Steve howled in pain, and feebly tried to fix his new injury with soft clutching.

The thing's crooked teeth were dangerously close to his dislocated leg, and he could feel the cold breath on his kneecap. This was it, Steve thought. I'm dying to the remains of a deceased fellow survivor. How ironic.

*shwack*

The arrow in the skull of the monster vibrated from the force of its flight. With curdled blood pouring out of its eye socket, the zombie fell over onto the ground, taking Steve and his caught leg with him. While still trying to free his shoe from the meaty trap, he looked over his shoulder to see what had attempted to kill him. A Stray looked right back at him, as it nocked another arrow into the splintered bow it held in its visible phalanges.

In one final attempt to break free, Steve roared in agony and might as he ripped his foot from the rotten ribcage. His eyes whelmed as the unbearable pain from his pelvis slammed into his conscious. But even that didn't match the sting from the Stray's arrow piercing his intestines.

Steve cried out loud as he felt his organs contract in confusion and sudden discomfort. Stunned from the blow, he tried to hobble his way towards the edge of the cliff. He needed to get out of here, or he'd become one of them.

He made it to the edge before another arrow found its way to his shoulder blade. Steve howled once more as he realized his plan of hanging off the edge wasn't going to work anymore. He wasn't going to die to the Stray. He was going to die to the ground. Yes, he thought, I'm not joining them.

He prepared to jump, desperate to leave the world in peace, as one more arrow destroyed his good leg. He collapsed onto the ground, still screaming from the torture of it all. He heard the skeleton approach with every bony step louder than the last. As Steve's vision faded, he looked up one last time before he slipped from consciousness. The skeleton stopped in front of him, readied his final arrow, and aimed directly for Steve's face.

"p-p-please... no..." he quietly whispered.

*thwack*


	6. Chapter 6

**NOTE: Hey there, sorry this took a while to write. I know what you're saying, you took way to long to write it Smeef. I hear ya. On top of that this is actually a shorter chapter, but I thought you guys might find it cute.**

 **The reason why I took so long with this is:**

 **1\. Le cliffhanger**

 **2\. Felt unmotivated? Got a little bored with this story. Probably cause of the lack of action, but that should change soon.**

 **3\. I got Ark: Survival Evolved recently. That's probably like 40% of the reason why. Great game.**

 **Enjoy, and I'll catch you next chapter!**

 **UPDATE:**

 **WE JUST BROKE 500 VIEWS AND 200 VISITORS! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!**

 **Chapter 6:** Second Chance

Steve peeled his eyelids open, as he arose from his deathly slumber. His hearing was beginning to return as well, and he could hear faint, echoing sobs coming from his right. There was something warm on his chin, something wet and tingly. He stuck out his tongue to taste what it was—It was delicious, whatever it was. A little thick, but it reminded him of apple juice.

He immediately recognized it as a Potion of Regeneration. The devastating pain that once came from his knee, his hip, and his abdomen was entirely gone, and he could feel his nearly lost life coming back to him.

Someone had saved him. Vanish, most likely. But how did she get that potion? Did she kill a witch?

As a sensation of soft wool, quite literally, blanketed over Steve's back, he realized that he was at home. How did she know to come here? And how did she know how to operate a brewing stand?

Where did she even get one? Steve had never even been to the Nether before, not that he had any intents on doing so. And had she taken out a Blaze? That had to have been the only way for her to make one.

Steve slowly turned his head over to Vanish, who was hunched over with her head in her arms. It wasn't hard to tell that she was incredibly distressed, and she had done some hard work of some sort. No doubt from fetching everything she needed to save Steve's life.

"Hello Vanish." Steve said, his hoarse voice not quite finished with repairing his throat.

Vanish's head shot up, eyes bloodshot purple from weeping.

"Steve? Oh my god!" She exclaimed as she threw herself on top of him. Steve's brittle body flinched a little in protest, but he didn't mind the hug at all.

"I-I t-thought that thing killed you," she said through short, relieved breaths.

She rested her head on his chest, clutching him as if he might fly away if she let go. Steve could feel her drenched cheeks stain his cyan shirt, soaking into the dirt and dried blood from the previous battle. With a slight grunt, Steve rested his arm on top of her head, as he felt her hair flow around his fingertips.

Muffled by his clothing, she spoke to him again. "I'm s-so sorry, I left you there, I should have taken you home f-first."

"It's quite alright, Vanish. I understand to the fullest extent."

Vanish let out a half-hearted laugh, and said, "And to think I might have never heard your big words again."

"Ha-ha, truly amusing." Steve replied, smirking at the cheeky Enderwoman, and resting his heavy eyes.

He felt a sudden jolt of ecstasy rush through his body as Vanish pressed her soft lips against his. He was hesitant at first, but quickly gave in to the rush of happiness. He loved Vanish, he knew this now. And she had quite the regard for him.

After what seemed like hours of the romantic embrace, Vanish pulled away with a rushed gasp.

"I'm sorry Steve, but I would be damned if I lived the rest of my life not knowing what it was like to caress you."

With an expression of regret mixed with euphoria, she turned away from him. After a moment of thought, she regained eye contact with him, saying, "Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag now. I love you Steve. You're kind, noble, and frankly, quite the looker. I really wish you feel the same."

Her hopeful gaze further proved her sincerity, but Steve already knew his answer. Using his continually healing right hand, he pulled her back towards his face. Vanish immediately acknowledged where this was going, so she quickly reconnected their mouths.

With their heads touching, Steve parted her indigo hair and whispered in her ear, "I couldn't begin to convey how mutual the feeling is."

And they snuggled with each other the rest of the night, feeling whole and complete once again.


	7. ANNOUNCEMENT

**ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL:**

It is more than likely that I am done writing this story. I have grown bored of it, and frankly, I think the story can end where it is.

I just wanted to say thank you for the support and motivation to complete it. If it wasn't for you guys, I doubt I would have ever even made it to the second chapter.

This story actually has over 1000 views now, so that's pretty exciting too.

As for new stories, I don't know what I should do next. I'll think of something, but I am doubtful it will be a Minecraft one.

Thanks to all who stuck with me til' the end, and sorry to anyone who waited for another chapter. I'll think of some new material soon :P


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